Monmouth Park Barn Notes - May 25

Trainer Charlie Harvatt is slated to run a horse in each of Sunday’s stakes races at
Monmouth
Park, the Red Cross and The Little Silver, both of which boast a $60,000 purse.

Taylors Irish, a 7-year-old mare by Drewman, is set
to compete in the six furlong Red Cross Stakes. She is coming off of a
second place finish at Tampa Bay
Downs (April 6) where she was edged by a neck at the wire.

“She ran a big race last out and we’ve freshened her
up since then,” said Harvatt. “She had a nice little breeze here the
other day and is hopefully back
to her old self. She always tries and I expect her to run well.”

Just one race after the Red Cross, Harvatt has
Wellspring Legacy set to run in the Little Silver Stakes at one mile on
the turf. The 3-year-old filly is
coming off two straight wins at Tampa since being claimed by Harvatt.

“I had been watching her for a while down at
Tampa
looking to claim her and finally I took a shot,” Harvatt said. “She’s a
nice little filly. We’re shooting high with her, but she deserves a
shot. The whole reason I took her was for turf.
She’s two-for-two with me. I’m hoping she can get out there with an
easy lead, and have something left for the lane.”

Francisco Maysonett will ride
Taylor’s Irish in the Red Cross, while Ramon Moya gets the call on Wellspring Legacy on Sunday.

BAFFLE ME RETURNS TO MONMOUTH FOR MISS
LIBERTY

It has been almost two years since Baffle Me has visited
Monmouth
Park, the place where she began her career.
She showed promise from the start by successfully breaking her maiden at
first asking, and then by capturing third in the Colleen Stakes over
Monmouth’s dirt course in 2011.

Since then the 4-year old filly has become a turf specialist, and has raked in over $200,000 for owner Lee Lewis. She returns to
New Jersey
for Sunday’s Miss Liberty Stakes where she and ten of her fellow
females will travel a mile and 1/16 on the grass in the hopes of
claiming the winner’s share of the $75,000 purse.

Baffle Me, conditioned by Mark Henning, showed great
form this winter finishing in the money in all three of her starts at
Gulfstream
Park.

“She was a little inconsistent when she was younger,” said Rob Raider, Henning’s
Monmouth Park assistant, “but it looked like she may have put that behind her this winter down in
Florida.”

A daughter of First Samurai, Baffle Me is coming off a win in her last race at
Gulfstream
Park (March 13) where she went wire-to-wire winning by 2 ¼ lengths.

“The
First Samurai’s seem to get better as they get older,” said Raider.
“She’s really matured a lot as a 4-year-old. She used to be tall and
lanky, but now she’s filled in nicely and is big and strong.”

Raider believes that Baffle Me will take the lead in the Miss Liberty, as she has done in the past.

“I
wouldn’t say that she has to be on the lead, that’s just where she
seems to put herself,” Raider said. “She gets out of the gate good and
puts
the others at a disadvantage right from the start. We’re certainly not
sending her out there hoping she can hang on in the end, she’s putting
herself there and it’s worked out. Based on the past performances and
what I saw, I’d be surprised if she’s not on
the lead in this race.”

FOOD TRUCK WARS CONTINUES THROUGH SUNDAY

Monmouth
Park’s hugely successful Food Truck Wars continues on Sunday, May 26. Food trucks from across
New Jersey
will battle to see who serves the best movable meal in the state as
patrons vote for the people’s choice award. More than 30 trucks are
slated to partake in this year’s event, which
runs from gates opening at 11:30 a.m. through approximately 5 p.m.

This Sunday, May 26 marks the beginning of Family Fun Days at
Monmouth Park.
Family Fun Day will include pony rides, clowns, face painters, bounce
houses, and much more family friendly entertainment. With bonus Family
Fun Days
on holidays, the events will run every Sunday through Labor Day, and is
free with general admission to the park.